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Financial crisis weighs heavily on city's female workers

By Cao Li (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-08-27 07:48

Most female workers in Shanghai suffer from anxiety connected to the global financial crisis, according to a recent survey.

The majority of the 1,173 female respondents from 108 city businesses said they had worried in the past three months because of the crisis. And many said they had more pressure than their male co-workers, said the survey that was jointly conducted by the Shanghai Labor Union and the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.

More than 90 percent said the crisis worried them. Some 53 percent felt insecure about their job and 27.9 percent believed they would have difficulty finding another if they were fired or laid off.

Female workers in the electronics, garment and food industries suffered most, with 80.3, 71.9 and 52.3 percent worrying about their jobs.

Wang Wei, a 29-year-old saleswoman at a local gym, shared the feeling.

"People are cutting spending on their health. And many foreigners, who go to the gym more often, are being transferred back home," she said.

Yao Lan, an editor at a media company, was worried about a possible pay cut.

"Because the company is receiving less from advertising, we employees may have our bonuses cut," she said.

Most female workers changed lifestyle and family plans because of the crisis.

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Of the 98 married respondents with no children, 62.2 percent had no plans to have a child in the near future, 13.3 percent cancelled plans to have a child because of financial concerns. Many have dropped thoughts of changing jobs. Some 35.1 percent say job stability is the top priority.

And many are spending less and taking public transit, instead of driving or taking a taxi. Some 35.2 percent were shopping less, 18.5 percent traveled less and 16.3 percent spent less on food. And more workers were bringing a packed lunch to work.

To cope with the pressure, the Shanghai Labor Union encouraged employers to conduct job vocational training and give more care to female workers. Some 92.1 percent said they wanted to attend such training.

And employers are also being encouraged to host psychological lectures, teaching female workers how to adapt to the pressure.

But Yan Zhengwei, a therapist at Wales Psychological Clinic, said men may be feeling the pressure even more.

"I have not seen the number of female patients increase," he said. "But the percentage of men is increasing, compared to that of women."

He said women may pour out their troubles to friends but while he used to see 20 percent male patients and 80 percent female "now, it is 30 percent men and 70 percent women".

He said men, who tend to hold higher positions than women, can suffer more from pressure.

"Many suffer from insomnia and depression and easily lose their tempers," he said.